jinrsvl

Hi! I’m seeking a CLK63 Black Series for my collection and would love to chat with current owners about their cars and ownership experience.

I currently own a concourse quality 2016 Boxster Spyder, a 2021 Lexus LC500 Convertible, as well as a low mile 2005 CLK320 coupe which I accidentally won on BaT last year. Trying hard to justify adding the CLK BS to my collection without dropping anything! I’m quite tall, so the pillarless CLK coupe has been one of my favorite car designs from the beginning. So even if no one has a car to sell me, I’d love to pick your experienced brains about these cars and maybe seek offline input about the current cars available nationwide (can only find 9 on car gurus).

thanks for any help of ideas you may share!

1JDM911

if you plan to acquire one and keep it low miles/concourse, or for "risk-free" fun-miles-only, then by all means, this is a great piece of AMG history to hold onto; why "risk-free", well, the NLA (no longer available) status on just about all aesthetic parts means - any collision accident is unrepairable if you wish to keep all parts original, unless you're ready to stock up a garage full of spare parts like some of us, just to be able to feel a bit less paranoid when taking it out on a drive and have a good night sleep..

the situation is really concerning actually, most of those parts became NLA in the MB parts bin just around 5yrs ago before the car turned 10yrs old, when other manufacturers would keep producing or have spare parts ready at least until the car turns 15~20yrs old..

in due time, the table may turn, and these parts may somewhat/somehow become available through "monopoly" sources such as the MB Classic Center, at potentially 5x~10x the original cost, not sure if that's good or bad..

the rarity of OEM aesthetic parts on this car is no less than the status of parts for CGT of the Pcar world or the LFA of Lexus, coming from the much more commonly produced Boxster/LC500 (that shares the majority of its exterior parts/body panels with lower specs), i'm not sure if you're ready to drive something so thrilling, that any driving session you take on the public road, could be the very last one.

not to mention, mechanically, 15yrs old mark is also the time when many things need to be replaced/rebuild/etc such as bushings/shocks/etc (hence, a flooded market in the recent years, as many experienced owners got off the horse on high grounds, before this hits), regardless of mileage.

make sure you have a trustworthy source for anything from PPi to maintenance/service as well as potential repairs; if not if, then when, you need it.

so, are you ready to take on this unicorn at year15?

jinrsvl

Sounds like good advice, thanks!

Can’t say I’m surprised given how few were made. A bit disappointing though given the car’s seemingly ubiquitous platform.

I’d hoped to preserve it while driving it about 1000 miles per year…

How can I stockpile parts? 😉 maybe just buy two cars?

jinrsvl

I know you meant for this to be a warning, but seeing as how both the CGT and LFA are in my bucket list/dream garage….my practical petrolhead takeaway is, “you can experience the thrill of CGT and LFA ownership at 1/10th the price 😜”

souljas_1

Interesting. Didn't realize the situation concerning the NLA parts. Quite shocking and scary to be honest.

I was actually thinking about selling my vehicle which has gone close to 40,000 miles. It has the ARH long tube headers, ecu and tcu blip tune, carbon fiber splitter, and other small enhancements.

I have two questions:

1. So what would occur if say the transmission needed to be replaced or something else engine related?

2. How much do you think the vehicle would sell for in today's market? I see cars on autotrader trying to sell for $100K - $150K with similar mileage to mine.

Thanks!

duuder

heres one fs in NJ

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/Kml...g-black-series

duuder

it should sell pretty well if you post a lot of pics and definitely 6 figures plus! the transmission is rebuildable w/ kits avail from tuners or a fully built unit form SHR and the M156 engine parts are plenty available and serviceable

SMP

Since some of you have contacted me via PM, and 5 out of 6 messages were about what your car is worth in todays market, I thought posting it here will simplify the process, instead of responding to each and every one about the same subject. One was about the stock wheels.

Let's start with the stock wheels. I don't have them anymore. When I sold my car on BaT in January of 2022, all the aftermarket parts were on the car. All the OEM parts that were removed, came separately WITH the car. Winner of the auction got ALL the parts, including how I set up the suspension. From spring rates, ride height, compression and rebound settings on the shocks, to alignment settings. If the next owner chose to put her back to stock, it would be very easy to do so. When the car was sold the second time via consignment, I was not involved with said sale. That was between the person I sold it to on BaT, and the company he consigned it with.

As for the PM's about what your car would sell for in todays market, let me repeat what I posted in another thread. Every used car is unique. Never two the same. They might have the same color, close to the same mileage, and if modified, even similar aftermarket parts. Now, for full transparency, my car was modified. Everyone that knows me and my CLK, advised me to put her back to stock. Sound advise! For someone who is in the market as a collector, that's what they are looking for. Exactly the way it came from the factory. However, I just couldn't do that, and therefor took a risk. A calculated risk, though. But, what really helped, was that every OEM part came with the car. Not everyone has the same taste in mods. Some might like your mods, some might not. You certainly limit your pool of prospective buyers.The problem with the CLK, is that some parts are not any longer available through the MB parts catalog, or are outrageously overpriced. I'm not saying too expensive, because it's all relative to the original sticker price. For instance, the OEM wheels made by Alcoa, when they were still available through the dealer. Yes, they are forged aluminum, but $16k for a set? They are nice, but certainly not $16k nice to me. I kept my OEM's and stored them in boxes. Some CLK's have aftermarket exhaust systems. No problem, as long as you have the OEM exhaust components to sell with your car. If not, that's a problem, since last time I checked, neither the secondary cats, resonators or mufflers are any longer available. That might not concern a buyer in a State were they have lax emission standards, but a California buyer, is most likely out. Then there's the cosmetic condition of the car, whether it was serviced meticulously (WITH hard copy service records), and is mechanically in no need of anything. Mileage, should be the least concern ... as long as it was maintained properly. My ex CLK, is testimony to that. Besides, 12k miles is really nothing for that motor ... or 30k,50k etc. In stock form, they only produce 80hp per liter. The internals are hardly stressed, compared to some other cars I currently own. One is a twin turbo, that makes stock almost 170hp per liter, from a 3 liter engine. The other one is a naturally aspirated 4 liter, that makes 125hp per liter at a lofty 9000rpm. The only other advise I can give, is taking lots of high resolution pics, of all the good obviously, but equally all the not so good as well. An honest representation, goes a long way.

To all of you thinking about selling your CLK, I wish you nothing but luck, and the highest sale price possible!

SMP

I guess, procuring an OEM rear spoiler was not that easy? It still has that aftermarket, ill fitting, crooked weaved rear spoiler glued to the trunk lid, when it didn't make reserve on BaT. Perhaps this time, the seller should have mentioned it in the description of the new sales add?

duuder

ahh... i remember now. i definitely pm on bat in regards to the suspension settings as my set up was from evosport as well and otoupalik doesnt have the files anymore

jinrsvl

These cars might attract the tightest group of enthusiasts I’ve seen online and I’m looking forward to joining the club.

I’ve put a deposit on the car in Hayward/Redwood City, CA. Planning to pick it up as soon as the rain stops.

Looks like my future car was on BaT a couple times and someone over the past two years has brought it back to pretty much stock condition. Here’s the link to my future car on classic.com. My CLK BS. The current owner has compiled a pretty thorough binder documenting the history and prior ownership. I’m sure some of you are members here.




I’ve noticed a modified car popped up in the past couple days. Yellow roll bars and brakes… it looks pretty awesome, but yes… I’m seeking as close to stock as possible. Tempted by the tasteful and useful mods, but I don’t typically go there.

1JDM911

congrats on your acquisition, and welcome to the club!

SMP

I don't remember, I've got a lot of PM's while my CLK was life on BaT. If I did not respond to your PM, I apologize ... nothing personal, I was just focused on the task at hand, which was selling my car. I remember though, posting on BaT, that I do have saved all the specifics about how my suspension was set up. I dealt with both Otoupalik and Blairwarlock at Evosport, while I owned my CLK. Their record keeping was electronic, mine, is the old fashioned handwritten one. I am the kind of person, that keeps records of everything done to any of my cars. I do still have a folder for my CLK ... if there is anything you need help with, I am more than happy to help out a fellow enthusiast. PM me here, and I will respond.

SMP

This particular car, was first owned by someone in Canada. He's also the one that put the aftermarket wheels on the car. He saved the OEM wheels though, which I guess the seller procured from him.

Btw, that "speed yellow" Evosport roll-bar in that black"modified" CLK you mentioned, used to be a silver roll-bar, in a silver CLK ... to be precise, I had it powder coated in "Bengal Silver", which was the closest I could find to match Iridium Silver. Small world

duuder

no worries, mine is spec for track and just wanted to compare to evosport's setting or even if it was changed or how far off it was

jinrsvl

that’s what I’m talking about… the enthusiasts here seem like lifers. I noticed the original owner (with the oem wheels) chimed in while the CLK was on BaT that he still had the OEM wheels. I don’t know who finally connected with him, but someone apparently did. The fact that the wheels were separated and eventually found their way home is a cool story.

litumup411

Is this the car you are referring to? I know the owner and he's a huge CLK 63 enthusiast. When I spoke to him about trying to source one of these rollcages, he told me that he believed that his was possibly the last new one because Evosport stopped making them years ago. The number of changes and Renntech upgrades are comprehensive. I'm sorry I didn't take a picture of that spec sheet.

SMP

The Evosport roll-bar you see in this car, used to be the roll-bar in my ex CLK. The buyer of my car, had it removed, and it was for sale on eBay. Like I already mentioned, it used to be powder coated in "Bengal Silver", because I like my roll-bars in body color, and the plates for the custom legs, were powder coated black. Evosport only produced a handful of these roll-bars. They are very rare!

Evosport's first version of the roll-bar, I didn't care for. Partly because of the design, but primarily because it required drilling through the floor. So I came up with a new design, and had it fabricated by Evosport exactly to my specifications. My car was the first, which featured this version of roll-bar installed.

Here are the cars, that had this version of the roll-bar ORIGINALLY installed:

My Iridium Silver CLK - roll-bar in Bengal Silver .......... NOW Speed Yellow in the above pictured black CLK
My friend Jimmy's Mars Red CLK - roll-bar was wrapped in black leather ........... NOW in a white CLK (the white "race" CLK sold on BaT)
The black CLK sold on BaT, that now belongs to Duuder

duuder

Wow! Sweet! Thanks for the info

Doctodd33

is your friend Jimmy around here? I had a red one.

MercedesDad

Are you "Formel1" on BAT? That's my "Speed Yellow" at the Ritz for the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance weekend (aka "The Amelia")

SMP

That's me

Your car looks fantastic!

SMP

On this forum? Yeah he is. He was one of the 9 or 12 (if I recall correctly), that picked their CLK up through the "Euro delivery racetrack" promotion MB offered back then.

MercedesDad

True. Took me six months to find mine; fit and finish are 100% perfect and it only weights 41.5lbs after powder coating (which Renntech offset with 50lbs savings from the Euro seats).

It means a lot coming from you Sir. Many people have poured blood, sweat and tears on this BS.

First, we got lucky when two German AMG techs moved across the pond to our small town in FL . Recruited by our Mercedes-Benz dealership shortly before my car arrived for a complete refurbishment, they had fun installing "the last of" some parts in the BS.

Next it was the turn of Mr. Hartmut Feyhl and his guys at Renntech. They knocked it out of the park.

Finally, my father and I spent a solid month, clay-bar on hand, preparing every surface for The Amelia. I even painstakingly clay-bared the inside of each wheel, suspension components and fender liners ... stuff that nobody will ever see... before ceramic coating everything.

This is the fifth CLK63 BS I've owned; the one I've fallen in love with the most.

SMP

In regards to the fit and finish on the roll-bar, the "welds" alone are fantastic! The fabricator back then at Evosport, his name is Josh btw, did my roll-bar and my X-pipe ... that X-pipe is also beautifully done, and now hangs on the wall in my garage as "wall art" I loved the sound it produced! Shortly before I sold my car, I had it taken out and the stock secondary cats and resonators put back.


Your CLK looks fantastic, and it shows how much effort, money and time was invested! I bet it was drawing a big crowd at Amelia! Both Evosport and Renntech parts are the way to go for these cars. Well done, Sir!